Apple Suspends Sale Of Latest Watch Models Over Infringement

Apple Suspends Sale Of Latest Watch Models Over Infringement 

Tech giant, Apple, on Monday said it would stop selling some of its smartwatch models in the United States while it fought a patent battle over technology for detecting blood oxygen levels.

The move comes more than a month after the United States International Trade Commission recommended banning imports of Apple Watch models that appear to infringe patents held by Masimo Corp.

USITC issued a "limited exclusion order" set to go into effect after Christmas day if not nixed by President Joe Biden.

A presidential review is underway regarding the USITC order regarding imports of Apple Watch models with the blood oxygen sensing feature at issue in the patent dispute.

"While the review period will not end until December 25, Apple is preemptively taking steps to comply should the ruling stand," an Apple spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

Those steps include pausing US sales of Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 from the Cupertino-based tech titan's website starting December 21 and from US retail store locations after December 24, according to the spokesperson.

"The ITC's expert judgment in this matter should be respected," a Masimo spokesperson said in reply to an AFP inquiry.

"The decision to exclude certain foreign-made models of the Apple Watch demonstrates that even the world's most powerful company must abide by the law protecting intellectual property rights," the spokesperson added.

Apple contends that the ITC finding was in error and should be reversed, something it will ask a federal court to do if necessary.

AFP